CHICAGO – On Sunday, two collectives came together to help achieve a common goal – gun violence prevention and mental health awareness.
Project sWISH Chicago teamed up with the ‘Swervin’ Through Stress’ Initiative – founded by Chicago rapper G Herbo – to host a basketball event at the Pullman Community Center focused on giving local youth a safe outlet from gun violence , also emphasizing conversations about improving each other’s mental health and emotional well-being.
Project sWISH Chicago was founded about 4 years ago by McKinley Nelson, whose goal for the organization was to bring people together through the game of basketball, providing a safe haven away from guns and violence.
Likewise, G Herbo’s Swervin’ Through Stress initiative seeks to connect black youth with mental health therapy to help them recover from the traumas experienced in Chicago—and to fund services for them.
“[G Herbo’s] is going to play basketball with us,” Nelson said at the event. “He’s going to have open, honest and vulnerable conversations about things he’s been through growing up here in the city, and hopefully the kids can relate to him. “
For more information on Project sWISH Chicago and the Swervin’ Through Stress Initiative, you can visit Project sWISH’s Web page.
